Suffix -ly

Do you have a favorite sport? How often are you able to do that sport? Eric’s favorite sport is soccer. He plays soccer every week.
Look at the last sentence above. This could be written two ways.

He plays soccer every week.

-or-

He plays soccer weekly.

The word week is a base word. A suffix is a letter or letters added to the end of a word that changes its meaning. Sometimes it changes the way the word is used. Words ending in ly normally tell how or how often something is done.

You can figure out meanings of words if you recognize the suffix.

Here is the key!

First, find the base word and think about its meaning.. Next, remember that words ending with ly usually tell how or how often something happens. Finally, try the base word in the phrase "in a ____ way" or "once a _____" to figure out the meaning of the word with the ly ending.

Try this! Read the sentence and the choices to complete the sentence. Click on the word that makes sense in the sentence.

The goalie ______ did a dive to keep the ball from going in the goal!

A) patiently
B) dearly
C) quickly

Let’s try another one!

Tiffany’s best friend, Megan, was moving away. She _______ watched as Megan and her family got in the car to leave.
Click on the best answer to complete the sentence.

(A) sadly
(B) happily
(C) joyfully

Can you find the base words?

A) proudly
B) softly
C) bravely
D) monthly

Match the word above to its base word by selecting the correct letter.

	brave
	proud
	month
	soft

Now, do this activity.

Go back to your desk and write 3 sentences telling how something is done. Write one sentence on each strip of paper. (Sample words you could use: quickly, sadly, slowly, loudly, quietly, patiently, carefully, softly, happily) Next, draw an illustration for each sentence on separate sheets of drawing paper. Give them to your teacher so your classmates can later match the sentence to the illustration. Another activity you could do is to get a couple of friends to act out your sentences in front of the class. Have fun!